Harmonic coupler for piano-actions



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W. S. WRIGHT.

HARMONIU COUPLER FOR PIANO ACTIONS.

No. 295,512; Patented Mgr. 18,1884.

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UNITED STATES PATENT -()FFICE.

WILLIAM s. WRIGHT, or DOVER, NEW JERSEY.

HARMONIC COUPLER FOR PIANO-ACTIONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 295,612, dated March 18, 1884.

Application filed April 14, 1883.

. of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved device for coupling two piano-hammerswith one key, thereby producing harmonic sounds by depressing'one key.

Reference is to be had to'the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification ,in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of part of a pianoaction provided with my improved harmonic Fig. 2 1s a longitudinal sectional V coupler. elevation of the same.

The first eight white base-keys A and the.

five black keys A between them are secured ,to the usual pivoted key-levers, B, which act on the hammers Gin the usual manner; The rest of the key-levers, B, do not extend to the action-rail D, but are beveled toward their rear ends and downwarda short distance in front of the actionrail, and the beveled ends are covered with a layer, a, of felt, leather, or flannel. On the beveled end of each lever B the downwardly-inclined part E of alever, E, rests, the rear ends of which levers E pass under the action-rail and are in line with the rear 5 ends of the levers B, and devices for operating the hammers O are provided on the rear end of each lever E. From the front upper end of their inclined parts E the leversE are inclined toward the left in the horizontal plane, so that their front ends will be above the'eighth key-lever to the left from the one on which their inclined parts Erestthat is, their front ends are above the'key-levers of the keys representing tones one octave below those of the said levers E themselves. The front ends of the levers E are beveled downward toward the front, and their ends are each provided with a vertical slit, (1, through which a vertical stud, F, passes, driven into the upper surface of the corresponding lever B or B,which studs F are provided at their upper ends with heads F. The several levers E are pivoted on a rail, G, crossing the levers B B. On the uption Iromt (No model.)

per surface of each lever I) asliding block, H, rests a short distance back of the front end.-

which blocks are beveled downward and toward the front ends of the lovers E,with which levers they are parallel. each provided in the front beveled end with a vertical slit, 9. The several blocks H have their rear ends secured to a transverse bar or rail,J, crossing the lovers '1' and resting on the same, which rail is adapted to slide in the direction of the length of the levers 13B. Diagonal'bars K are pivoted to the rail J and to the rail G at suitable intervals. A rocking shaft,L, is journaled above the rail G, parallel with the same, and is provided with an upwardly-projecting arm, )I, which is connected by a bar, N, with therail J. A spiral spring, 0. or a wei ht, turns the shaft L in the direche keys, and presses the end of a backwardly-projecting arm, 1, of the shaft L on the upper end of a vertically-movable rod, Q, extending through the piano-casing and resting on a foot-lever; or the arm P can be connected with the rod Q in any other suitable manner, and the rod Q can be operated by a knee-lever or pull, instead ofby a pedal.

The operation is as follows: Ordinarily the blocks H are behind the pins F, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and are ,held in this position by the spring 0. If a key is depressed, the rear end of the lever B throws the hammer upward, or the-rear end of a lever, B, raises the rear end of thelever E, resting on it, and the hammeron the lever B strikes the key. The piano is played in the usual manner, and each key operates one hammer only. If an octave is to'beplayed, by depressing one key the arm I? is raised by means of the rod Q, operated by the pedal, and thereby theshaft L is rocked toward the keys, and-the rail J'will be moved in the same direction, thereby moving the blocks forward inthe direction of the levers B, so that the pins F will be in the slits g of the blocks H. If, new, akeyis depressed, its lever raises the hammer on its rear end, or the hammer of the lever 13, resting on its rear end, and the headof the stud F also draws down the front endof the lever E,. csting on the rear end of the lever B of the eighth white key, above the key depressed, whereby an octave will be sounded. O'ct-aves are played as The blocks H are.

long as the arm I remains raised. As soon as the pedal is released, the spring 0 depresses the arm I and rocks the shaft L in such a mannet that it draws the blocks II back again, so that the-front ends of the levers E will not be depressed by depressing the key-lever above which they are located.

I have described theharmonic coupler constructed in such a manner as to couple every eighth key; but it can be constructed to couple every third or fifth key.

I have-deseribed the first thirteen keys as provided with the coupling-levers E; but, if desired, more or less may be constructed with the coupling-levers.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a pianoaction, the combination, with the l ey-levers, of coupling-levers resting on the same and extending to other key-levers, and of slitted beveled sliding blocks for coupling the couplinglever with another key-lever, and. thus coupling the key-levers to 0p erate together by depressing the key of one of them only, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a piano-action, the combination, with key-levers having their rear ends beveled, of diagonal coupling-levers resting on the. said beveled levers, and having their front ends over other levers, and sliding blocks for coupling the front ends of the coupling-levers with the key-levers above which they rest, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a piano-action, the combination, with key-1evcrs, of coupling-levers resting on the same, and having their front ends over other levers, slitted beveled sliding blocks for coup ling the front ends of the coupling-levers to the key-levers above which they rest, and devices for adjusting all the coupling-blocks to couple simultaneously, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a piano-action, the combination, with the key-levers 13, the eouplingdemrs resting on them and crossing to other key-levcrs, which coupling-levers I] have slots (Z in the front ends, the sliding blocks II, resting on the coupling-levers and having their front ends provided with slits r and devices for moving all the blocks H forward simultaneously, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a piano-action, the combination, with the key-levers B, or" the couplingdcvers 1'], adapted to operate the hammers, the pins 1", the sliding blocks II, having slits r the rail J, the bars K, the rocking shaft L, having an arm, )"I, and the coupling-bar N, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a piano-action, the combination, with the key-levers B, of the coupling-levers E, adapted to operate the hammers. the pins 1', the slitted blocks II, the rail J, the bars K, the shaft I), having an arm, 'M, the couplingbar N, the arm 1, the rod Q, and the spring O,substantiallyas herein shown and described, and for the purpose-set forth.

\VILLIAM S. WllIt-illl.

Witnesses:

Osoiin F. G'UXZ, C. Snnmvmc. 

